The science behind fasting

It should be a well known fact that our bodies were designed for famine and not for abundance.  As you well know from reading this blog, our digestive systems have not changed in over 10,000 years.

10,000 years ago life was a lot different than it is now.  Humans were known as hunter-gatherers, in other words, they lived off what foods they could gather - fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds.  Every now and again they might be lucky enough to catch an animal.  Catching an animal also meant "feasting" as they would have had to eat it as quickly as possible as there was no way of preserving it.

However, nowadays we live - in the Western World at least, in a time of abundance.  Food is constantly available to us 24/7, and most of it isn't healthy.  Anything labeled a "convenience" food or anything that has been processed isn't just feasting... it's DANGEROUS.

Unfortunately, we know very little about our ancestors' health problems - if they had any at all.  They were most probably eaten by wild animals or died from being hit by a rock then to actually experience disease.  However, we do know a lot more nowadays about aging and disease and how to make ourselves healthier to avoid disease.

We know that being obese or overweight increases the risk of suffering from metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, some cancers and heart disease.

There is also a huge food industry that is consistently bombarding us with advertisements
encouraging us to pour vast amounts of sugar and salt into our bodies and that GMO produce is "good" for us.

There is also a huge "diet" industry - most of which belongs to the aforementioned food industry, that tells us that low fat is good for us, that high carb diets are also good for us, and what the latest diet fad is.

If we focus on the fact that natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and animal protein are good for us, and combine that with the vast amount of knowledge we have acquired over the past couple of decades - then surely we can come up with a diet that can be very "user friendly" and not just promote weight loss but also promote better health.

Dr. Michael Mosley has done just that.  The Fast Diet, also known as the 5:2 diet is, in my opinion, a masterpiece of combining anti-aging information with food.

Dr. Mosley has spoken with a number of scientists who are analyzing the way our bodies react to aging and to other environmental factors, and how changing those environmental factors can also improve how we age.

Having read his book, "The Fast Diet" and seen the documentary he produced for the BBC, I was fascinated.  However, there was one piece of information that really got me hooked.  Michael Mosley traveled to the USA and spoke to Dr. Valter Longo, director of the University of Southern California's Longevity Institute.  Dr. Longo is passionate about the science of fasting.  The reason why he feels the way he does is that his research, and that of many others also, has shown the amazing range of measurable health benefits acquired from fasting.  Going without food for even quite short periods of time switches on a number of repair genes which, as Dr. Longo explained, can provide some longterm benefits:

"There is a lot of initial evidence to suggest that temporary periodic fasting can induce changes that can be beneficial against aging and disease.  You take a person, you fast them, after 24 hours everything is revolutionized.  And even if you took a cocktail of drugs, very potent drugs, you will never even get close to what fasting does.  The beauty of fasting is that it's all coordinated," Dr. Longo says.

It all comes down to the levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).  IGF-1 is what makes your body's cells multiply continuously.  However, Valter has discovered that during fasting the body reduces the production of IGF-1 and instead of multiplying cells like crazy, the body begins to repair damaged areas.  When you are young and growing, you need adequate levels of IGF-1 and other growth factors, however, high levels in later life appear to lead to accelerated aging and cancer.

There is a vast history of fasting in many cultures - this is not something new.  There are cultures that fast for long periods of time.  However, for many of us in our abundance orientated world are horrified at the prospect of skipping a single meal.

"I've been so busy today I didn't even have time for lunch!" we frequently hear.

What we need to do is to change our way of thinking.  The Fast Diet makes fasting easy; 5 days a week you eat normally and the other 2 days you severely restrict your calories to 600Kcal/day for men and 500Kcal/day for women.  Michael Mosley found this idea much easier to work with than say fasting for 4 days every 2-3 months or even alternate day fasting.

The 2 fasting days do not have to be consecutive, they can be whichever days you choose.  You can work them into your diary so it works for you.  You can have all your calories in one meal or you can have two smaller meals (breakfast and dinner).  But the idea is to go for as long as possible between meals.  The Fast Diet has proved to be a good weight loss plan, BUT also has the added benefits of improved health and reduced aging.

For more information you can visit the website: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/

So what are you waiting for?

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Dreading the summer and putting your cellulite on show? Here's how to get rid of it - for good!

We all know what cellulite is, it's fat that collects on buttocks, thighs and upper arms, and for many it means covering up in the summer and a dreaded fear of wearing a swimming costume.  There are many commercial remedies, but these tend to be temporary and expensive and once you stop whichever treatment you have chosen to spend your money on, the dreaded cellulite creeps back on.  In my experience, creams may help to a degree but are never definitive and the people I know who have undergone liposuction, win the battle initially but tend to end up larger than they were before in a high number of cases.

The dimpled skin effect of cellulite known generally as "orange peel", occurs when fat cells push against the surrounding subcutaneous connective tissue.  If your lymph circulation becomes slow, toxins accumulate in these fat cells, making it even more difficult to get rid of.

Body brushing with a dry brush before taking a shower and then applying a good moisturizer afterwards can do wonders for your lymph circulation and will help towards cellulite elimination and will improve overall circulation.  However, there are effective ways of eliminating cellulite:

1. Diet - especially intermittent fasting.
2. Acceleration Training and/ or rebound exercise.

Diet - Intermittent Fasting

This technique makes your body burn fat rather than sugar.  Intermittent fasting simply means restricting the hours per day in which you eat.  For example you could simply restrict your eating to 12pm - 7pm - skipping breakfast and making lunch the first meal of the day.  When you do eat, you should be having healthy protein and healthy fats such as avocado, eggs, olive oil and nuts.  Keep refined carbohydrates such as white bread and pasta to a minimum - potatoes too.

Refined carbohydrates and foods high in sugars and processed salt all contribute to the development of cellulite, so you need to keep these out of your diet as much as possible.  Dietary carbohydrates are the primary source of glycerol-3-phosphate (g-3-p), which causes fat to become fixed in fat tissue.  Eating a lot of carbohydrate also raises your insulin levels, in this kind of environment the body cannot burn fat, the body first has to use the sugar stored in the body for energy before it gets round to burning the fat - so, if you eliminate refined carbohydrates and sugar from your diet, the body can get straight down to burning the fat.  Whole grains, legumes, low fructose fruits and nuts are a good healthy alternative for refined carbohydrates and sugar.

The reason why this technique is so effective is that it promotes the release of Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which is a fat burning hormone.  Fasting also increases catecholamines, which increase resting energy expenditure while decreasing insulin levels, all of which allows stored fat to be burned for fuel.

HGH levels start to decline rapidly after the age of 21, so by the time you are in your 40s, your levels can be quite low, which leads to those stubborn fat deposits.  We all tend to gain weight as we age, especially if you have a sedentary lifestyle.  Being non-active physically means that you not only put on weight, but that you lose muscle mass too.  You start burning fewer calories with age as your body adjusts from building muscle to storing fat.  This is why it is so vital to remain physically active throughout your life.

If you decide to try intermittent fasting, it may take a while for your body to adjust to this new fat burning environment and you must do it gradually, but once you achieve this you will be able to fast for 18 hours and not feel hungry.  The added bonus is that your sugar cravings will disappear and weight loss will be much easier.

I would not recommend this for diabetics or hypoglycemics .  This technique is also similar to the "2 Day Diet", where you eat a limited number of calories 2 days a week and then a more relaxed diet for the remaining 5.

Acceleration Training and Rebound Exercise.

I have written before about how exercising before breakfast burns 20% more fat than exercising

afterwards, put this together with fasting and you can't go wrong.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a great way to boost the effects of fasting on your weight loss program. (See: The Tabata Protocol )

Also acceleration training on a vibrating platform such as a Power Plate, has been shown to be very useful for fighting the cellulite wars in particular.

Acceleration training improves lymph circulation which helps you to breakdown cellulite from the inside out.  The vibrations provide thousands of muscle contractions that remove your lymphatic fluid from problem areas, reducing fluid congestion in your tissues.  This relieves the immune system by flushing out the toxins.  This has been scientifically proven to help rid your body of excess weight and cellulite (See: Cellulite Power Plate Study )

Rebounding is another form of exercise that, to a lesser degree, has the same effect as acceleration training.  On a mini trampoline your body is subjected to gravitational pulls.  The benefits of rebounding include increased circulating oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs and increased muscle strength and is a great cardio workout.  The benefits of acceleration training will always be seen quicker than with rebounding but if this is too costly then rebounding does do wonders and is a lot cheaper!

Once you know all this you can take definite steps towards a cellulite free, happy and healthy body at the weight you want it to be at, just two steps:

1. Sort out your diet and introduce intermittent fasting.  Drink lots of water to flush out your system.
2. Get with a fitness program you enjoy that includes HIIT and/ or bounce your way to cellulite free body.

Social Nutrition:
You can make an appointment to improve your health with Social Nutrition either in person (Madrid) or online (Skype).  Just send an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com